Myanmar Dam near Manipur

What is the issue?

• Myanmar is building a new dam, close to the border near Manipur.
• This has raised some concerns among the border villages in Manipur.

What is the project?

• The dam, called Tuidimjang, is being built on the Twigem river.
• Twigem river flows into Myanmar from Manipur..
• The dam is barely 100 metres from the zero line separating the two countries.
• International rules warrant border countries to check activities in No Man’s Land.
• This applies to a 150-metre strip on either side of the boundary line.

What are the concerns?

• Border villagers in Kengjoi subdivison of Manipur’s Chandel district are concerned of the project.
• The residents of Khangtung village recently reported to the district officials.

• Khangtung is inhabited by the Thadou tribe and is 137 km south of Manipur capital Imphal.

• The villagers, dependent on the river, are already facing water scarcity.
• Given the topography of the area, the new project could make it even more vulnerable.
• If the dam comes up, Khangtung and other Indian villages will be submerged.
• Villagers will have to be relocated and rehabilitated.
• This may have huge negative social, cultural and economic impact on the residents.

How are the internal dams in Manipur?

• Mapithel - Mapithel dam, initially known as Thoubal Multipurpose Project, aimed to produce 7.5MW of power.
• Irrigation and providing drinking water were also the objectives.
• Despite inking an understanding with the State government, the villagers were not facilitated with a proper relocation site.
• In June 2015, a tribal village named Chadong in Ukhrul district was submerged.
• Khuga dam - Taken up in 1980, the project lies south of Manipur’s Churachandpur town.
• Lying dormant until 2002, it led to a cost escalation from the initial Rs. 15 crore to more than Rs. 350 crore in 2009.
• The project sanction by the Planning Commission was said to have inherent flaws.
• Resultantly, the power component of 1.5MW incorporated in the initial design was scrapped despite near-completion of a powerhouse.
• Tipaimukh - It is a mega hydroelectric project proposed on river Barak in Manipur 35 years ago.
• Bangladesh is against this project, as Barak flows into it from Manipur through southern Assam.
• It feeds the Surma and Kushiara rivers in Bangladesh.

What do they imply?

• Many of the internal dams in Manipur are already facing varied controversies and limitations.
• A number of ecological, political and procedural aspects of the projects are causes of concern for the region.
• The dam by Myanmar, close to the border, is a new threat to the ecological and water sustainability of the region.
• The Chandel district officials are expected to survey the dam construction site to assess the condition.

Source: The Hindu